1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers for a beverage or other liquid and in particular to containers such as cans and packing-cases having a closure lid which includes a separable closure strip.
2. Description of Prior Art
To date, in order for a consumer to drink straight out of a can of a pull-ring type, for instance he or she must remove the closure strip from the lid and then push his or her lips against the outer surface of the container. An external surface of the container is usually unsanitary as it is normally contaminated with dirt, germs and pollutions of all kinds while the container is stored and manipulated during the conditioning process, the transporting process and the stocking process of the containers. In the stores, too, the containers are frequently handled by different persons. In the refrigerators of stores, for instance, the containers are handled by many buyers who, among others, wish to appreciate the freshness degree of the containers. Furthermore, containers are often laid down on the floor and are thus within reach of animals or allowed to come into contact with chemical products, refuses, grease, oil and the like. Consequently, the beverage containers currently on the market very often do not remain sanitary for use.
Moreover, it is not uncommon that a consumer drinking straight from a container, in particular a child, cuts his or her lips or tongue. Further, beverage often spills over the top of the container or along the peripheral edge of a container lid.
In order to eliminate the concern about the drinking procedure being unsanitary there is known a closure lid arranged with a spout member which is folded over beneath a separable closure strip and which springs upwardly when the closure strip is separated from the remainder of the lid. However, nothing has been proposed so far to provide the present containers with an unfolding spout without the need to redesign the closure lids for the containers. This invention provides an improvement which solves this problem.